Picture your ideal luxury beach getaway, with white sand lapped by brilliant blue-green water and one or two palm trees casting a little welcome shade from the afternoon sun. You're almost certainly imagining the Riviera Maya.
There is, however, much more to this beautiful part of Mexico than plentiful sunshine and pristine sand. Curious visitors can also explore its vibrant culinary traditions, rich cultural history and spectacular barrier reef.
And you can see it all without breaking sweat. "Everything's so close," says Lonely Planet, "that you can go diving in Puerto Morelos by day and still have time for a candlelit dinner in Tulum" in the shadow of "spectacular Mayan ruins perched high above the beach".
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On the eastern tip of the Yucatan peninsula, which juts into the warm blue waters of the Caribbean, is Cancun. A world-famous beach destination in its own right, it's also the gateway to the Maya Riviera, a gorgeous coastline dotted with luxury resorts.
The beaches here "are among the world's finest, famed for their dazzling turquoise waters and bright-white sands", says Frommers. "Composed of shell fragments broken and tumbled smooth by heavy wave action, the picture-perfect shore of the Riviera Maya remains cool underfoot in even the hottest temperatures." While "some stretches are full of sunbathers", others "are lined with nothing but palm trees".
Paraiso beach, just south of the Mayan ruins at Tulum, is a particular favourite. Rated among the top five beaches in the world by Tripadvisor's traveller's choice award, its white sands and calm waters are graced with a "bohemian vibe", says Cancun.com.
For a more active experience, try Akumal, where you can snorkel or scuba dive around a reef which lies just off the coast. It's also a favourite spot for sea turtles, which come to Akumal each year to lay their eggs, and for the squid and barracuda that drift along Mexico's Caribbean coast.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
"Divers and snorkellers must – yes, must – head to Cozumel," says Lonely Planet, referring to the small reef island a few miles off the coast of Playa del Carmen. "The Santa Rosa Wall is Cozumel's most famous dive," offering a cliff-face of coral that plunges deep into the clear water. "Novices should head to the Colombia shallows for great visibility and some of the area's most spectacular coral formations."
… and the best beach weather
"With the sun shining on average between 240 and 253 days per year, Cancun is a year-round holiday destination," says Tripadvisor's destination guide. December to April is the most popular period, with temperatures peaking at about 30C – but it is also the most expensive time to visit. Heat and humidity builds into the summer but immediately after Easter, when the beaches are quieter and accommodation easier to find, can be an excellent time to visit.
Getting to know Mayan culture
From the great Mayan pyramids to Spanish baroque churches, Mexico is a treasure trove of eclectic architecture. Its wide array of buildings reflect a diverse history, encompassing ancient civilisations, colonial settlement and, in recent times, a range of influences from north and south America and beyond.
Day trips from Cancun and the surrounding beaches take in the impressive Mayan city of Coba, which once ruled the entire region. "The site is the nexus of the largest network of stone causeways of the ancient Mayan world," says the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and it contains "many engraved and sculpted stelae (upright stones) that document ceremonial life".
At the peak of its power, between 600 and 900AD, the city was home to 50,000 people. Now deserted, it still retains a sense of grandeur. "Surrounded by two large lagoons, Coba boasts archaeological wonders and is home to the tallest Mayan pyramid in the Yucatan region," says Lonely Planet." "The Nohoch Mul Pyramid rises an impressive 140 feet above the rainforest floor."
A little further afield is Izamal, about 150 miles from Cancun, but worth the trip for its extraordinary Franciscan monastery, which, like most of the rest of the buildings in the city, is painted bright yellow. Built in the 16th century by Spanish settlers, its atrium is second in size only to that of the Vatican.
Cause for celebration
Mexico is well known for the flamboyance of its festivals, not least on the Day of the Dead, or El Dia de los Muertos, which is celebrated on 1 November. Now closely associated with Halloween and coinciding with All Souls' Day, the festival combines "indigenous Aztec ritual with Catholicism, brought to the region by Spanish conquistadores", says National Geographic. It is a day to honour relatives who have passed on and to welcome them back into the land of the living, stirring them "from their eternal sleep to share celebrations with their loved ones". Colourful costumes and energetic dancing fuelled by grinning sugar skulls are the order of the day.
Cinco de Mayo, a festival which celebrates Mexico's victory over the French at the battle of Puebla on 5 May 1862, is another big day in the country's calendar. How it is marked depends largely on where you are: in smaller towns and villages, the Cinco de Mayo parade is often a respectful, reverential affair with a strong sense of history but in Cancun, it may well be another good excuse for a party.
Hot and spicy: a taste of Mexico
The world has fallen in love with its street food but Mexico has far more to offer than burritos and nachos. In fact, what the rest of us call Mexican is more strictly Tex-Mex, influenced as much by the US south-west as by traditions south of the Rio Grande. And while you sometimes can't beat a fresh fish taco, it's worth seeking out the country's subtler – and more upmarket – flavours.
Authentic Mexican cuisine, which traces its roots back to pre-colonial Mayan culture, is making a comeback, especially on the Riviera Maya. "On this gorgeous stretch of Caribbean coastline, gastronomy is generating as much buzz as the breathtaking, white-sand beaches," says Fodors, "with creative dining initiatives by hotels, new restaurants by established gourmands, and an ever-growing emphasis on local traditions and ingredients."
Pozole, for example, "was once used as part of ritual sacrifices", says BBC Good Food. The soup is made from chicken, pork or vegetables, simmered for hours with herbs and spices and spiked with lime and chilli. Or sit down to a plate of poc chuc: chargrilled pork steeped in sour orange and Mayan spice.
One new delicacy on the menu is lionfish caught on the local reed – and, perhaps unexpectedly, conservationists are encouraging the trend. The multi-coloured predator is not native to Mexican waters and its voracious appetite is doing serious damage to the reef's ecosystem. Serving up its sweetly flavoured white flesh as ceviche or in tacos helps to redress the balance.
The perfect margarita
"Its roots are deep," says Esquire, but the margarita is "a relative newcomer to cocktail Olympus" and "the last great cocktail to come into wide use before the vodka revolution sent the finer points of mixology to the guillotine".
To sample its greatness, pour two shots of tequila, one of Cointreau and one of lime juice into a cocktail shaker with lots of ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass, having moistened the rim with lime juice and dipped it in salt, then garnish with a lime wedge. Or else, put your feet up and ask the bartender to do the hard work.
The article above is an independent travel guide, produced by the The Week's editorial team and funded by Thomson.
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